Andersen Corp. Foundation donates $10,000 to Project Lead the Way

Corporate partnerships are key to the success of Project Lead the Way (PLTW) at North Branch Area Public Schools. So, when the school district was looking to expand PLTW to the high school, school officials met with the Andersen Corporate Foundation in December 2012 to provide an overview of PLTW and its advantages for students looking for careers in manufacturing, engineering, graphic design and a host of technology-related fields. PLTW is a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) initiative at North Branch.

Andersen representatives Barb Peterson (the Human Resources Coordinator at Andersen’s North Branch extrusion plant) and Mark Strand (a Value Stream Manager at the North Branch plant) presented the school district August 29 with a check for $10,000 to implement PLTW at North Branch Area High School. The funds will go toward providing the necessary high-end technology and training needed.

"The Andersen Corporate Foundation's generous donation to Project Lead the Way represents the most significant financial commitment the school district has had toward this cutting-edge curriculum, and we are really looking forward to Andersen's involvement in our advisory committee as well," said Superintendent Deb Henton. PLTW was implemented at North Branch Area Middle School in 2012-13, with Design and Modeling. This year, the middle school will include Robotics in eighth grade, and the high school will include Introduction to Engineering this fall.

High school students will have the opportunity to get college credit for this course as early as ninth grade. “Andersen has a strong commitment to supporting the communities where our employees live and work,” said Peterson. “One of our key philanthropic focus areas in education is STEM and North Branch Area Public Schools is doing a tremendous job in ensuring our young people have access to these disciplines.”